PREVIEW: Texas-Rio Grande Valley at Tarleton State

STEPHENVILLE, Texas (Interstat) — The Tarleton State Texans (31-16) host the Texas-Rio Grande Valley Vaqueros (24-25) on Friday at 6:30 p.m. at Tarleton Baseball Complex in a Western Athletic Conference series opener.

The weather forecast calls for clear skies and 66 degrees at first pitch.

Tarleton State enters the weekend riding a three-game winning streak after sweeping Utah Tech on the road last weekend. The Texans outscored the Trailblazers 27-18 in the series, including a 10-8 victory Sunday. Tarleton State is 17-4 in its last 21 games.

Texas-Rio Grande Valley comes off a 13-7 win Tuesday at Abilene Christian. The Vaqueros have won five of their last six.

Players to watch

Texas-Rio Grande Valley designated hitter Andrew Taylor has been on a tear. In Tuesday’s win, he went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs. Over his last four games, Taylor is 5-for-7 with three homers and six RBIs.

Tarleton State outfielder Rayner Heinrich has been the Texans’ most consistent hitter. In the Utah Tech series sweep, Heinrich went 7-for-13 with two home runs and six RBIs. Over his last 10 games, he is hitting .382 (13-for-34) with three homers and 13 RBIs.

Projection

Interstat’s game simulator projects a 7-6 Tarleton State victory. However, Interstat’s ELO system gives the Vaqueros a 51.3 percent probability to win, reflecting the statistical toss-up nature of the matchup.

Recent results

Texas-Rio Grande Valley: Tuesday’s 13-7 win at Abilene Christian was powered by Taylor (3-for-4, 2 HR, 4 RBIs), second baseman Thomas Williams (2-for-4, 4 RBIs) and pitcher Robert Bonilla (4 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, 6 Ks). The Vaqueros also took 3 of 4 from Incarnate Word last weekend.

Tarleton State: Sunday’s 10-8 win at Utah Tech was keyed by Heinrich (3-for-5, HR, 3 RBIs), designated hitter Chris Ricard (2-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs) and pitcher Karsen Davis (2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 K). The Texans swept the three-game series.

Up next

The same two teams meet again Saturday and Sunday to complete the three-game set. Tarleton State then travels to Sacramento State for a three-game series May 14-16.